Jesus in NASCAR
As the realities of an economic recession begin to become apparent to NASCAR, and traditional sponsors start to leave, the loss of Kodak and Craftsman are prime examples, NASCAR team owners are going to be forced to find not only new sponsors, but sponsors from industries that previously had no affiliation with NASCAR. One possible sponsorship could be a church. I am not talking about a neighborhood parish, but instead a mega church that has upwards of 10,000 members.
There are several reasons why one of these churches would be interested in sponsoring a car. For starters these kinds of churches have the money. They could, through member donation, easily raise the money necessary to become a primary sponsor. Another reason is that some of these churches are beginning to see a stall in new member recruitment.
According to a September 9 USA Today article, these mega churches are not making as much as progress as they would like in increasing membership. A NASCAR sponsorship is a fantastic advertisement that could draw on potential new members, as well as fans that already identify themselves as Christians.
Faith-based promotions have worked in other sports. An organization called Third Coast Sports has been promoting “faith nights” at minor league and major league baseball parks all over the country with a great deal of success. At NASCAR events, Motor Racing Outreach holds worship services in the parking lot.
Is it really that far of a stretch to imagine a faith-based organization moving that ministry to the asphalt of the track inside? Finally there are so many drivers and team owners, Michael Waltrip and Joe Gibbs being the most prominent, who wear their faith on their sleeves. I would imagine that Gibbs or Waltrip would be very enthusiastic about gaining a church-based sponsor.
Certainly there are arguments against a church getting involved in NASCAR. NASCAR wants to appeal to as many people as possible, and the introduction of a religious based car could turn some people off or cause some people to stop being fans.
My arguments against this backlash are that NASCAR needs to retain its base, and companies that produce controversial products are already sponsors in NASCAR. NASCAR’s core fan base is still Southern.
There is a disproportionate number of these mega churches in the South, and I am guessing that quite a few of the members of these congregations are NASCAR fans. Remember the South is called the Bible Belt for a reason. As hard economic times loom for all United States citizens, decisions about whether to purchase race tickets are being made by all fans. Ticket sales and television revenue will probably drop significantly over the next couple of seasons. If NASCAR is to survive these trying economic times, it must retain its core fans, and the majority of these core fans are Southerners. The race car sporting a church sponsor might actually help in retaining Bible Belt fans.
There are controversial products being sold consistently in NASCAR. Jack Daniels has sponsored a car, which probably infuriates organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the implication being get liquored up on Jack Daniels and then get behind the wheel. Despite the possible backlash, NASCAR let Jack Daniels be a sponsor. It’s also important to remember that NASCAR was sponsored for years by tobacco companies and thrived under that sponsorship.
I have no inside information to tell me that a mega church is going to get involved with a team, but I think ostensibly it is a reasonable proposition.
And that’s the view from here.
RW